French judiciary issues third arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad

The French judiciary has issued a new arrest warrant against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on charges of complicity in committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, related to the chemical attacks that targeted areas in the countryside of Damascus in 2013.

AFP reported that this warrant, signed on July 29, 2025, is the third of its kind issued by the French judiciary against Assad, following two previous warrants in different cases.

Legal background and previous cancellation

The new warrant came after the French Court of Cassation canceled a previous warrant on July 25, based on the absolute immunity of heads of state while in office, as Assad was still in power at that time.
However, the court clarified that the immunity falls after he leaves office in December 2024, allowing the national anti-terrorism prosecution to request the issuance of a new warrant.

The chemical attacks in question

The incidents date back to chemical attacks carried out in August 2013 in the areas of Adra, Douma, and Eastern Ghouta, which, according to U.S. intelligence, resulted in the death of more than a thousand people and injured about 450 others with the toxic sarin gas.

Previous warrants against Assad

France had issued two other warrants during 2025:

The first in January on charges of bombing civilian areas in Daraa in 2017.

The second in August on charges of complicity in the killing of American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik in Homs in 2012.